At the southeast corner of Maryland Avenue and Topton Way, a 66,005-square-foot office building at 8400 Maryland and its parking lot are being cleared for a six-story condominium building called Arqué. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, site preparation is underway, sales started early, and the developers expect to finish the building by late 2028.
That leaves roughly two years between signing and moving in. During those years the land next door, most of the former Caleres headquarters campus, becomes the site of a performing arts center that has no published design or opening date. For a downsizer looking at downtown Clayton this fall, the three newest buildings differ less in finishes than in timing. One is ready now, one is a 2028 commitment on a block that is still taking shape, and one is a rental that opened in October.
The 2028 building is sized for people leaving a house
Mehlman Family Development, which has built condos in Clayton before, is developing Arqué with Core10 Architects. CityScene STL's coverage of the proposal describes 29 residences of 2,470 to 3,150 square feet. Floors two through five hold six units each and the sixth floor holds five. Below them is a basement of 63 parking spaces, all for owners. The ground floor has 5,689 square feet of retail and 36 surface spaces for retail tenants and visitors.
Those sizes put Arqué closer to a large single-family floor plan than to a typical downtown condo. The project's own site lists private terraces, high-end kitchens, hardwood floors, tall ceilings, a rooftop garden and heated resident parking.
The approvals moved quickly. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Clayton's Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board approved the plans on Dec. 15, 2025. Because the vote was unanimous, the project did not need approval from the Board of Aldermen. The Business Journal has put the project at about $40 million.
Buying before a building exists means committing before you can walk through the finished residence, the finished hallway or the finished street outside. Purchase agreements for pre-construction condominiums differ in their deposit, completion and contingency terms. This post is general information and not legal or financial advice, so have your attorney and lender review any contract before you sign.
What is being built around it
Arqué's late-2028 date matters most because of its neighbors. The Caleres campus, which included a 275,000-square-foot office building as well as the smaller one at 8400 Maryland, is being divided several ways.
- The main campus. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis closed on its purchase of 6.67 acres on Dec. 19, 2025, after an 11-month due-diligence period. It plans a performing arts center that would bring performances, administration and rehearsals under one roof. In its closing announcement, the company calls the project a multi-year, community-informed process and says it will work with Clayton on design and permitting.
- The Arqué corner. This is the smaller office building and the Topton Way lot described above.
- The Gay Avenue side. In December 2025, the Post-Dispatch reported that about two acres on the west side of the campus along Gay Avenue remained for sale.
- Caleres itself. The company leased space at 8182 Maryland Avenue and 8235 Forsyth Boulevard, about two blocks east, for a move planned for mid-2026. Its investor contact address is now 8182 Maryland.
Opera Theatre was founded in 1976. It performs at the Loretto-Hilton Center on Webster University's campus, sharing the space with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the university, and its season runs from around Memorial Day through June. Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew summed up the city's view to the Post-Dispatch: "Caleres is staying in Clayton. We are getting some wonderful new condominium units. And a great cultural asset for the region coming here is extremely exciting."
For an Arqué buyer, the arts center is likely to be a draw in the long run. In the near term, the residence will be finished while the building next door is still being designed. A buyer signing today is buying a known floor plan on a block whose largest neighbor is still in planning.
The building that is ready now, a few blocks east
Forsythia on the Park, at 8250 Forsyth Boulevard, is the alternative on the opposite clock. At its Jan. 13, 2026 meeting, Clayton approved the condominium plat for a planned development of 38 residences, one commercial unit and 82 parking spaces. The Forsythia site describes its residences as turn-key and ready for move-in. It lists private terraces, an outdoor lounge, a fitness center, valet parking, a front-desk attendant and Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchens, all within walking distance of Straub's, Shaw Park and downtown restaurants.
When CityScene covered Arqué in November 2025, it called the Maryland and Topton proposal the newest condo building since Forsythia was proposed a few blocks east. In practice, Forsythia is the finished version of the purchase Arqué asks a buyer to make two years in advance. You can tour it, stand on a terrace and walk to Shaw Park this week.
The rental that opened in October
The third clock belongs to Vivienne, Keeley Properties' new building at 211 N. Meramec Ave. The city announced its opening on Oct. 13, 2026. Trivers, the architect, describes a building of about 252,000 square feet on a lot that once held an auto-oriented medical office building and a car-rental agency. It has 151 homes, 142 apartments and nine townhomes, and all of them are rentals.
This fall, Vivienne's leasing site listed floor plans from 676 to 2,078 square feet and base rents from $2,200 to $4,310 a month. Its amenities include a pool, a 3,600-square-foot fitness center, a spa and sauna, a speakeasy, co-working rooms, and garage parking with EV charging.
Vivienne's largest floor plan is still about 400 square feet smaller than Arqué's smallest residence. Someone leaving a large house can lease at Vivienne while an Arqué residence is built, but would be living with considerably less space for that stretch. Rents also change often, so treat the listed range as a fall 2026 snapshot.
The three clocks side by side
| Forsythia on the Park | Arqué | Vivienne | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | 8250 Forsyth Blvd. | Maryland Ave. and Topton Way | 211 N. Meramec Ave. |
| Ownership | Condominium | Condominium | Rental |
| Homes | 38 residences | 29 residences | 151 homes |
| Sizes | Not published | 2,470 to 3,150 sq. ft. | 676 to 2,078 sq. ft. |
| Timing | Advertised as move-in ready | Completion expected late 2028 | Opened October 2026 |
| Next door | Shaw Park, downtown Forsyth | Future Opera Theatre site | Downtown Meramec corridor |
How the timelines fit a sale of your current home
For a Clayton, Ladue or Frontenac owner planning to downsize, the sale of the current house sets the schedule, and each building fits that schedule differently.
- Selling in 2027 and wanting one move. Forsythia, or a resale unit in one of the established towers, fits a closing that can be scheduled now.
- Comfortable holding the current house until late 2028. Arqué lets you stay where you are while the building goes up, with a move timed to its completion date.
- Selling soon but drawn to Arqué. This is the scenario where Vivienne fits, as a place to live in downtown Clayton during the wait. It means two moves and a smaller home in between.
How the Opera Theatre site develops is the one factor that touches all three. It sits closest to Arqué, but it will shape traffic, foot traffic and evening activity along Maryland Avenue for anyone living downtown.
Common Questions
Does Arqué have published prices? The project site takes reservation inquiries and appointment requests but does not list prices.
When will Opera Theatre's new center open? The company calls the project multi-year and says it will work with the City of Clayton on design and permitting.
Does Vivienne include townhomes? Yes. Nine of its 151 homes are townhomes, and the rest are apartments.
If you are deciding whether your next home in downtown Clayton should be ready now, built for 2028 or rented for the wait, Aimee Simpson can plan the sale of your current home around whichever date you choose. She has sold Clayton condominiums since 1996 and can coordinate the timing, the staging and the move in one private consultation. Work With Aimee Simpson.
